a pastor, a redhead, and a yellow lab in sahuarita, az

Kristi-less in KC

For a while I have been learning what it means to live on my own with a dog, and without my awesome wife. I have been in KC since April 25, 2014. It has been just a little over a month now and I (we) really miss her. All this time, I have kept myself busy by getting somewhat settled into our rental house and plugging into things with Vertical Church. Kristi-less in KC has been quite an adventure! I made a few observations along the way getting to KC and during my first few wifeless days here and would like to share the following…

When traveling 12 hours in a car with a dog it is much better to have another person to assist with pit stops. You tend to take care of business much faster when a 90 lb Lab is waiting for you by himself in your vehicle.

Max, as cool as he is, doesn’t carry on a conversation too well.

In-laws are great! We spent one night in Southaven, MS on the way. My mother-in-law took us in and loved on us. And, Kristi’s parents are making the drive with her out to KC this week. Just gotta love them!

Your favorite playlists can get old pretty fast.

There is this condition called Relocation Anxiety, and my dog has it. Max is missing Kristi too.

It is hard to sleep at night when you are used to your wife being by your side for almost 19 years. So, I have been sleeping on the sofa with Max on the floor beside me some nights.

When you make a big move, you realize you have A LOT of stuff! I promise I have never seen half of the kitchen devices that I unboxed, nor do I know their function. Guess that tells you where I don’t spend my time.

Friends are a definite blessing in life. There are those you left behind who are kind enough to pray for you, and there are new friends in the new city who are willing to feed you, watch your dog, provide paper products, and help you unpack.

Shopping to setup house and to purchase groceries is hard work on your own. Especially when you are not the best shopper, nor the chief cook in the family. As a result, I go to the store about every other day to pick up something I forgot or didn’t know I needed.

Saving a few boxes for Kristi to unpack is okay. All because I don’t want her to feel left out of the experience! She really told me that I could leave some.

Lining shelves with shelf paper is a talent that I didn’t know I had.

It is easy to revert to living like a bachelor or like one did with roommates in college. The house becomes messy somewhat faster and you can only eat so much pizza. I have found that certain kinds of frozen skillet dinners aren’t so bad.

My 37 days living Kristi-less and like a bachelor in KC are coming to a close! Tomorrow Kristi arrives and I (we) can’t wait… Gotta go clean!